PCB issues show-cause notice to selectors over Imam, Rizwan inclusion

The strange ways of Pakistan cricket administration may have sunk to newer depths, as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officially questioned the wisdom of the selectors and sought an explanation for the selection of a couple of players for the twin tours of the West Indies and England.

According to confirmed information, the PCB has issued show-cause notices to the members of the selection committee, virtually challenging the wisdom of the selectors in picking Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan. The selection committee, comprising illustrious former players such as Aaqib Javed, Misbah-ul-Haq, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq, has been given 24 hours to respond.

A PCB spokesman has confirmed issuing show cause notice to the selection committee to Cricketlineguruji on Tuesday evening.

A part of the one-page show-cause notice, issued by PCB's Chief Operating Officer Sumair Ahmed, reads: "As advised by competent authority, you are hereby requested to provide explanation regarding the basis and rationale for the selection of the two players, including relevant selection criteria, performance considerations and any other factors taken into account during the selection process".

The PCB move comes less than a day after it effected sweeping changes to the Babar Azam-led side currently touring England. In an unprecedented crackdown on the team, the PCB recalled seven players from England midway through the series and also dismissed a couple of coaches, including head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed.

The development also comes amid reports that Misbah ul Haq has resigned from the committee although his resignation, reportedly, has not yet been accepted.

The selectors have further been asked to explain the reasons for their choices and the process followed in arriving at the selections, and have been asked to treat the notice "as urgent and of utmost importance".

Questioning the judgement and discretion of the selection committee in individual cases is rare in cricket administration.

The move, incidentally, comes from a country with a history of picking players without always following established protocols. Imran Khan was known to defy the selectors and, at times, the board in matters of selection, with Inzamam-ul-Haq being the prime example. Inzamam was picked on Imran’s insistence, overruling the selectors’ reservations, and went on to surprise everyone with his crucial contributions to Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup triumph.

Apart from Imam and Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad were asked to return home from England after Babar Azam’s side were beaten by 194 runs at Lord’s. All seven have been replaced by new players for the third and final Test, starting on September 9 in Birmingham.